What is The South Beach Diet?

The South Beach Diet is a commercial diet plan designed by cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston and dietitian Marie Almon in the mid-1990s. It became popular after 2003, with the launch of a best-selling book.

Avocado is a healthy food that can be eaten at any phase of the South Beach Diet

It initially aimed to help patients lower their risk of heart disease, but rapidly became popular as a diet for losing weight.

Dr. Agatston devised the Diet after noticing that the low-fat, high-carb diets commonly recommended were not helping people to lose weight in the long term.

The Diet claims not to be a traditional low-carb diet, focusing instead on selecting the right carbohydrates, or carbs.

These include whole grains, specific fruits and vegetables, appropriate fats, such as olive oil, and lean protein sources.

It recommends avoiding certain carbohydrates, based on their glycemic index.

Commenting on the Diet, the Mayo Clinic explain that foods with a high glycemic index will increase blood sugar more quickly, to a higher level and for a longer time than foods with a lower index.

There is, they say, some evidence to suggest that increasing blood sugar levels stimulates the appetite, causing people to eat more.

The dieter will eat three balanced meals a day, with desserts, plus snacks.

The snacks are important, even if the dieter is not hungry, because someone who feels satisfied has less tendency to overeat at the next meal.

Foods to avoid during Phase I include bread, rice, potatoes and pasta, baked and sugary foods such as cake, cookies, candy and ice cream, and fruits, and alcoholic drinks.

Some of these are re-introduced in Phases II and III.

Phase II: Achieving the target weight

Phase II lasts until the dieter reaches their desired weight.

Appropriate carbohydrates are re-introduced, in the form of fruits, whole grains, and some additional vegetables.

Carbohydrates should be in the form of whole grains.

Weight loss may now be steady, but slower than in Phase I. During Phase II, the Diet says people normally lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, depending on the individual's metabolism.

Slow, steady weight loss is better, says South Beach Diet, because it is more likely to last.

In Phase II, the dieter learns to reintroduce "good" carbohydrates, including whole-grain breads, whole-grain pastas, most fruits, and some treats.

Some participants worry about regaining the weight already lost when they start eating the carbs again.

Dr. Agatston stresses that they must reintroduce these carbs, because if they are going to follow this diet for life, carbs will be essential long-term for maintaining good health.

The carbs are reintroduced little by little.

First, one single carb is added to just one daily meal for one week. The person should monitor closely how their body responds to a reintroduced carb over a few days.

If the body responds appropriately, they can add a second carb, again monitoring the body's reaction carefully. Examples of an appropriate response to added carbohydrates are improved energy, sleep quality, and mood, continued slow weight loss, regular bowel movements, and better skin.

This continues until the person has two to three servings of the right carbs each day. These include healthy, complex, high fiber carbohydrates like whole grains, fruit, potatoes, peas, and brown rice.

If a person does not feel comfortable at this stage, they can return to Phase I for a few days, until they regain control.

People might need to revisit Phase I if they experience:

Food cravings

Inability to control carbohydrate portions

Weight gain

Reverting to old, unhealthy eating habits.

On reaching the target weight, the dieter moves on to Phase III.

Phase III: Adopting a lifestyle

In Phase III, says the South Beach Diet, the individual learns to make good food choices and maintain their new weight in the long term, while enjoying all foods in moderation.

Phase III is the "maintenance phase." Now, the person should feel that they are adopting a lifestyle, rather than following a diet.

If the food cravings return, or if weight increases, the dieter can go back to Phase I or II.

The creators of The South Beach Diet say that, in Phase III, people do not go back to eating whatever they like. Instead, they continue to make good food choices, try new recipes and ingredients, and enjoy a new lifestyle.

Phase III is about maintaining an ideal body weight and experiencing better health.

What do experts say about the South Beach Diet?

The South Beach Diet is undoubtedly very popular, but all lifestyle changes should be approached with caution.

The Mayo Clinic considers the Diet "generally safe" if the user follows the recommendations, but cautions against excessive restriction of carbohydrates, as this can lead to health problems. Care is also needed if repeating or revisiting Phase II often.

Three years after the South Beach Diet book appeared, research in the Journal of General Internal Medicine suggested that up to 67% of the "facts" stated in it may not be supported by research.

Some of the health claims and "facts" that were disproven or not supported by an exhaustive medical review of evidence include:

"People lose 8 to 13 pounds in the first 2 weeks"

"Carrots, beets, and watermelon promote weight gain because of a high GI (glycemic index)"

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